He won't be stripped from "American Idol"

David Hernandez will remain on "American Idol," despite his past as a male stripper. Hernandez (inset) was scheduled to perform last night as planned, said a person close to the show who asked not to be identified. A strip club manager confirmed on Monday that the 24-year-old from Glendale, Ariz., was a stripper at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix for three years before joining the Fox singing competition. Fox has declined to comment. (AP)

Kenny Chesney snagged 11 nominations yesterday to lead contenders for the Academy of Country Music awards, and Rodney Atkins, with his four straight No. 1 singles, was second with six. Atkins, whose "If You're Going Through Hell" was the most played country single of 2006, took top male vocalist last year. (Reuters)

Actress Jeri Ryan (inset) gave birth Sunday to daughter Gisele in Los Angeles. "Jeri is resting comfortably and [French chef] Christophe [Eme] is playing the part of proud new papa quite well," her publicist David Lust said. The 7-pound 13-ounce baby is the couple's first. The pair wed in France last June. Ryan has a 13-year-old son, Alex, from a previous relationship and currently stars on "Shark" on CBS. (AP)

NBC is pumping up the return of "My Name Is Earl" with a guest shot by Paris Hilton. Hilton appears as herself in a dream sequence. Earl has been knocked unconscious and various things from his life and imagination bleed into his fevered mind. Her appearance will come in the one-hour episode on April 3 that is the first new material following the writers' strike settlement, NBC said. (AP)

A judge yesterday ruled that Dannielynn, the baby daughter of deceased model Anna Nicole Smith, is the sole heir to her estate, meaning the 18-month-old could inherit a multimillion-dollar fortune. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff's ruling also established a trust for Dannielynn that would be administered by Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, and Dannielynn's father, Larry Birkhead. Smith, a former Playboy model and television actress, died last year of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, roughly five months after Dannielynn was born. (Reuters)

Moviegoers won't to have wait long to see the next film from Joel and Ethan Coen, the Oscar-winning brothers behind "No Country for Old Men." Their next project, the dark espionage comedy "Burn After Reading," will be released Sept. 12 via Focus Features, the studio said Monday. The cast includes George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand, Joel Coen's wife. (Reuters)

"[Prince] Harry has been over in Afghanistan fighting because he's expendable.' Cohost Mario Cuomo, on Monday's "Good Morning America," talking about the British royal